The Great Outdoors

We finally ventured outside to do yardwork today. I walked out back and realized the grass was nearly up to my knees. So I had Josh mow it. Is that really how you spell mow? It looks really weird to me for some reason. Anyway, I couldn't help because the baby was on one. Every time I put him down he starts screaming. Normally I'm okay with that. He does it all the time. These were special screams though. The kind that make you think he's dying. So I watched Josh mow the lawn. The yard is a total mess. I don't even want to think about it really, so on to better things.
Clara will not clean her room for anything. I just don't know what to do. I beg and plead and scream and cry and threaten and punish and bribe. Nothing works. I'm so sick of it. This time, she doesn't get to participate in FHE or dinner. She's still playing. She just doesn't care. I was going to introduce a new system during family night too. I hope she cleans up in time. I made all these little chore cards for her. Its kind of like Accountable Kids. She has chore cards and then she has reward cards. If she does her chores, she gets a reward card. I can take those away if she does something like she's doing now. The reward cards go towards fun time, like TV, crafts, playtime, etc. Then there's paid chore cards that I give her little fake bucks for. She can work to earn toys and things that she wants to buy. Then there's the good behavior cards. I give those to her when I see her doing something especially nice. Those go toward earning dates with mom or dad. I spent several days preparing for this. She better get to work! This better be effective or I'm having a card burning bonfire in my back yard.
BUT...I'm very blessed to have this wonderful family. My kids are the sweetest things in the world and my husband is so happy and helpful. I've got the life!